Inked
by oh-the-linsanity
Summary: Tenzin's got one more airbending move to go before he earns his arrow. Aang's just gotta learn how to tattoo.


"How's my girl?"

Kya's hands methodically weaved the last bit of the flower crown she was making and added it to the small pile beside her on the floor: five in total. She looked up and her lips curved in the softest of smiles as Aang leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "Much better, Daddy."

He sat down beside her and Kya felt the breezes from his cape brush her face as he grabbed one of the flower crowns and placed it on his head to model. "Glad to hear it—your brother is quite sorry."

"Ah, that's a first." She quipped drily, but the smile remained.

Aang grinned. "I'm talking about Tenzin, you know."

She reached up and replaced the blue flowered crown on his head with a white one. "The shock factor still remains," she breathed, and Aang laughed.

A few days ago, Kya and Tenzin caused quite the ruckus on Air Temple Island. In his attempt to earn his arrow, Tenzin was on the last part in becoming a Master—creating his own move. Bumi proved to be far too useless when it came to ideas, since his were completely and utterly ridiculous (a tornado that shot out flying bison as trajectory had to be the dumbest idea to have ever existed) so Kya was obviously the better choice. (Better not necessarily meaning good). She did however suggest that he try a glider move. The two of them flew up on one of the sky bison and tried a few out, allowing Kya close enough to see her brother's forms and judge them. But then one mistake led to another and then Tenzin sorta-kinda-accidentally…

…blew his sister straight off the bison.

They were over water; shallow water, but water nonetheless, and it was just enough for her to bend to soften the blow and not end up, well, _dead. _A broken arm, a broken leg _and _a concussion led to a very, very sorry Tenzin and a very very angry Katara.

Katara had given Kya a special herbal mix, courtesy of swamp benders, that gave her enough energy to stay up to monitor her concussion (Eh, she could have probably just done with Bumi talking her ear off all night. How could anyone get sleep with that nuthead blabbing nonstop?) It made her feel _super _funny and when she told Katara that, she had taken another look at it before calling up Sokka. Kya didn't exactly follow the conversation but she did remember hearing her mother say the phrase, "_Kya's high off her ass because you thought cactus juice was a water tribe remedy are you serious?"_

Yeah, whatever that meant.

But the past few days had proved to be quite loopy between her medicines, and then the ACTUAL medicines (Seriously what was cactus juice? It made her think she was a flying lemur for hours). It had taken a lot out of her, so she had resulted in lounging about, making flower crowns.

Okay, so she did that already, but this time it was at least justified.

"He's almost got it, you know," Aang told her, giving a guilty smile when he accidentally plucked a petal from the crown. "I wouldn't be surprised if he had it by the end of the week."

"Really?" she mused, thoroughly surprised. He didn't seem close at all. Her head could speak for that. "I wonder what he's thought up."

"Says Lin helped him," Aang grabbed one of the crowns and put it on Kya, a pattern of red and pink.

Kya's impassive expression grew devilish—it always did when it came to some juicy gossip. "Liiiiiiin, huh?"

Aang's face went stern, or at least made an attempt to. His lip switched ever-so-slightly to the right. "Kya, Don't tease him, you know how uptight he gets about all this."

She rolled her eyes. "He's a tightass about everything!"

"_Language,"_ he chastised, but the effort wasn't really there. She was sixteen, he didn't really have much control of her anymore.

"Aw come on, you know they're cute." she giggled, adjusting her crown.

Aang knew. He smiled fondly. "Regardless, we should leave them be. Let love blossom as it may."

"Toph would punch you if she heard any of this." Kya teased, falling on her back and crushing her poor little flower crown—she'd just make another.

"So don't tell her," was Aang's easy reply. He was tempted to lay back and doze off like Kya was clearly about to do, but he had other things to do. He stood up and stretched. "Well, if Tenzin's going to get any closer to that arrow, I better get back to studying."

"Studying?"

Her father scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. "Yeah," he drawled out. "I've got to learn how to tattoo."

Kya pointed to the arrow. "Weren't you paying attention when you got yours?"

He looked at her like she was crazy. "Paying attention? Staying still was hard enough!" he laughed. "I was shaking so bad I was afraid they'd all end up crooked."

She mulled it over. "That's not…that's never happened, has it?"

Aang stroked his beard in thought. "I don't believe so, no." he finally decide, looking pleased.

"Heh, who wants money that Tenzin's will be the first?" a third voice said.

The two turned their heads to the doorway where Bumi strolled in, head high and hair wild, a mad grin on his face. In his hands was a small stack of books which he tossed at his father. The books were old; barely bound, relics, and Bumi had just thrown them across the room. He'd managed to catch them all with airbending save one, which fell to the ground with a loud thud. "Son. These books are ancient. Over a hundred years old." he reminded him, careful to pick up the last one—the binding was still intact.

"Ah, relics, just like yourself!" Bumi teased, eliciting a laugh out of Kya. But at the sight of Aang's hard stare, Bumi coughed up an apology. "Sorry, Dad."

"Just don't do it again, please?" he sighed. He looked through the books and appreciated that Bumi hadn't forgotten one. He leafed through the first one, however, and frowned. His two children stared at him with mild curiosity as his brow scrunched, his eyes narrowed and he took on a general appearance of frustration and confusion. Finally, Bumi asked, "What is it?"

Aang let out a childish whine. "…This looks _hard."_

The kids laughed at his expense. "It can't be that hard," Kya assured her dad. "I mean, they're arrows—straight lines and all."

"And Tenzin's big, bald head is an easy target!" Bumi threw in.

He ignored the quip at his youngest son. Aang set down the other books while he turned the other one in all different directions. "There's _math?" _he questioned as he shut the book and tucked it under his arm. "No matter, though!" he said, chipper. "I'll learn this in no time—I'll have everything ready and prepared before Tenzin even finishes that move!" he said, a newfound determination in his voice.

"I believe in you Dad," Kya smiled up at him.

"Me too," Bumi grinned, but leaned into his sister and whispered, "Though, it'll probably take ten years for Tenzin to come _close _so all in all…empty words."

"Shhh," Kya chided, but a smile betrayed her.

Aang overheard. "Listen to your sister," he mused absentmindedly, and the kids figured his mind had wandered back to the math aspects of the tattoos. He started for the doorway, many books in hand. "Just…" he paused, and turned back around. "Try and lay off teasing your brother, will you?" he pleaded. "Just until he's got this move down—the last thing he needs is for you to distract or worry him."

"Of course Daddy," Kya said reaching over to put a flower crown on Bumi, who wore it proudly, posing in various ways. "I'm sure the prospect of you tattooing him has got him scared already."

Aang pouted. "Spare your poor father a few insults too."

"Sorry," she said, sheepish, and this time she meant it. "Go study up!"

"Will do. And _behave." _and with that, he left.

Several minutes passed in silence before Bumi nudge Kya and asked, "You're going to help me in tricking Tenzin into thinking Dad won't be able to tattoo for shit, right?"

Kya scoffed. "Duh. I'm assuming you already have a plan?"

He grinned. "_Duh."_

_._

_._

AN: Confession I wrote this 9 months ago apparently but I just found it when I was cleaning out word docs and I thought it was cute and decided I'd post it here. Sorry I haven't hung around in the LOK fandom. Shame. Some of my best work. Regardless, enjoy!


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